Blinding pain.

He twists another sharp metal screw into my back. I scream out in agony. What I would give for this torture to end. Warm, red liquid trails down my skin, dripping onto the floor.

"I'm sorry that I have to do this, Bree. This isn't what I wanted." He leaves the screws inside my body. I don't know what scares me more: that he can torture me like this, or that he knows exactly where to put the screws without disabling me—as if he has had immense practice doing this.

"Then stop." I clench my jaw. Although I might be close to my breaking point, I refuse to beg. I'd die before I begged him. I don't think death is far away. The abandoned, grey factory we're in is already becoming a blur.

"I can't. This is simply a lesson for you. Don't ever betray me. You will never escape me." His voice is threatening.

Over and over, he continues. Until my screams are so loud he has to shove a torn piece of my shirt into my mouth. Until everything goes black.

I wake up gasping for air. There doesn't seem to be enough oxygen in this small, dark room. My heart pounds against my chest, making me fear that at any minute it might explode.

I search for something to ground me as I feel completely disoriented. Then I find something—someone—that calms me.

"Bree?" Elijah whispers, squinting and trying to get rid of his grogginess. "Are you alright?"

I let out a deep breath and lie down against his chest. He holds me tightly and places a kiss on my sweaty forehead. "I'm okay now."

I can still feel the pain of the icy cold screws, as if they were still there. But they're not. They were pulled out by extremely concerned doctors who could never know the truth.

"Bad dream?"

Bad memory. "Yeah, something like that."

He trails one hand up and down my arm. "You're safe now. Nothing will hurt you. Not while I'm here, okay?"

I don't know how true that is. Antonio is watching. Stalking. Following. One wrong move and I lose everything I care about.

But he isn't here. And my brain is tried of being worried about hypothetical situations. I'm scared that I might be repeating history and putting Elijah at risk of extreme pain, by defying Antonio.

"I can't stop thinking about it," I admit.

"Tell me what you need to get done today?" He gently trails his fingers up and down my skin.

"Well, we've got classes tomorrow. That's going to take up most of the day. After, I will probably go grab a bite to eat. Hopefully with my boyfriend."

His eyebrows practically shoot of his face. "Are you serious?" His huge smile is back. He sinks deeper into the plush pillow, pondering over that thought. "Girlfriend. You're my girlfriend."

"After eating I'll head to the gym to train for a while. Then I'll do some studying. Maybe I'll even meet up with my new friend."

"Friend?" His tone is clear. He wants to know if it is a guy friend or a girl friend.

"Yeah, I met her at the gym. She's a great listener and I think we might have some things in common."

"That sounds like a good day."

"The only worrying thing is, when plans are discussed, they usually never go accordingly. You always know that when people are discussing a strategy or plan fully, something is going to come in and change it unexpectedly."

"Maybe that's not a bad thing. What's the worst that could happen?"

Oh, Elijah. Sweet, naïve, Elijah.

"I could bump into someone I don't like."

"Trump? That's unlikely."

I hit him gently with the back of my hand. Staring up at the roof in silence, my memories and fears begin to flood back again like a tsunami that can knock over skyscrapers.

Elijah senses it, and asks, "Tell me the strangest story you have ever heard?" He is trying to distract me. Which is so kind.

"Alright listen to this." I turn towards him and lean up on my elbow. "In eighteen ninety seven, three Swedish scientists attempted to be the first people to get to the North Pole."

"That's your strangest story." His eyebrows furrow.

I hold my index finger up. "But, their chosen mode of transportation was . . . a balloon. And when they left for their expedition, they completely disappeared without a trace. Until thirty years later, where one of the scientist's skull-less remains were found in Norway."

"No ways."

"Yup, look up Salomon August Andrée if you don't believe me." I chuckle at the absurdity of the story. Times were so different back then.

So much has evolved, yet so much has gone downhill. Imagine how different I would be if I was born in a different era. Maybe I'd have a better chance at being the good guy.

That's not going to stop me from trying.

I adjust my head on the pillow so that I can look into Elijah's eyes easily. My hand lifts to his face, to trail my fingertips along his sharp jawline. "Thank you for being here with me."

"Always."

My eyes fall closed again. I put my trust in Elijah. Hoping that while by guard is down, he'll be there to keep me safe. It feels good to have someone protecting me; having my back.

•<•>•

I read about this tactic called social proof which says that if you announce your goals and intentions to the public, you'll be more likely to stick to it.

Sooooo, I will finish this book by March! I am going to try to work on it daily.

I'm nervous and excited for what is coming in this book.

T w i t t e r : xPineappleGirlx

I n s t a g r a m : laylaawrites
Y o u t u b e : xThePineappleGirlx

Lots of love and jelly tots - xThePineappleGirlx